Collectible marble set

ABSTRACT

Described is a collectible marble set where the marble enhancements are tied to a media. The collectible marble set includes a plurality of marbles, the plurality of marbles having at least a first set of marbles and a second set of marbles. Each of the marbles have an insert therein, wherein the first set of marbles has an insert with a first color and the second set of marbles has an insert with a second color. The plurality of marbles are formed to be tied to a media having a first character set and a second character set, such that the first color represents the first character set and the second color represents the second character set.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a collectible marble set and, moreparticularly, to a marble set containing inserts that are tied to thecharacters in a media by a representative color.

(2) Description of Related Art

Collectible marble sets have long been known in the art. Collectiblemarble sets traditionally have various enhancements. However, theenhancements do not include being associated with a particular media.Having a marble set associated with a particular media drives up thepopularity of a particular collectible marble set by linking thecollectors love for collectible marble sets with the collector's desirefor products depicting certain types of media. The popularity of aparticular marble set can be increased by closely tying the variousenhancements of the marble set to the type of media depicted. Thisfurther enhances the collecting experience by increasing the rarity ofthe design and features of the marble and by creating a custom look andfeel for the marble set.

Thus, a continuing need exists for collectible marble sets that not onlydepict various types of media but also tie the marble enhancements tothe media the marble is depicting.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a collectible marble set. Thecollectible marble set includes a plurality of marbles, the plurality ofmarbles having a first set of marbles and a second set of marbles. Eachof the marbles have an insert therein, wherein the first set of marbleshas an insert with a first color and the second set of marbles has aninsert with a second color. The plurality of marbles are formed to betied to a media having a first character set and a second character set,such that the first color represents the first character set and thesecond color represents the second character set.

In another aspect, each marble further includes a base.

In yet another aspect, the base color of the first set of marbles is thesubstantially similar to the first color and the base color of thesecond set of marbles is substantially similar to the second color.

In yet another aspect, each of the marbles further comprises an imagedisk representing a character in the media.

In yet another aspect, the image disks from the first set of marblesrepresent characters selected from the first character set, and theimage disks from the second set of marbles represent characters selectedfrom the second character set.

Finally, as can be appreciated by one in the art, the present inventionalso comprises a method for making the previously described collectiblemarble set. The method comprises a plurality of acts of forming,attaching, tying, representing, etc., the various components of themarble set to form the marbles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspectsof the invention in conjunction with reference to the followingdrawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a side-view illustration of a collectible marble according tothe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective-view illustration of an insert for use with acollectible marble according to the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a diagram representing the relationship of marble inserts andmedia character sets;

FIG. 3B is a side-view illustration of the insert depicted in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side-view illustration of a collectible marble according tothe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective-view illustration of a base for the collectiblemarble set according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective-view illustration of a collectible marblepositioned upon the base, according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective-view illustration of an image disk according tothe present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective-view illustration of a collectible marbleaccording to the present invention, depicting an insert and image diskattached with the collectible marble;

FIG. 9 is a perspective-view illustration of a collectible marble setaccording to the present invention, depicting a collectible marblepositioned upon a base; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of forming a collectiblemarble set according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a collectible marble set and, moreparticularly, to a marble set containing inserts that are tied to thecharacters in a media by a representative color. The followingdescription is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art tomake and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context ofparticular applications. Various modifications, as well as a variety ofuses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied toa wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intendedto be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to be accorded thewidest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosedherein.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the presentinvention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limitedto these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures anddevices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in orderto avoid obscuring the present invention.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which arefiled concurrently with this specification and which are open to publicinspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papersand documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the featuresdisclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims,abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features servingthe same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly statedotherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each featuredisclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent orsimilar features.

Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state“means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing aspecific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step”clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. Inparticular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the claims herein is notintended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.

Note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom,forward, reverse, clockwise and counter-clockwise have been used forconvenience only and are not intended to imply any particular fixeddirection. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/ordirections between various portions of an object. As such, as thecollectible marble set is turned around and/or over, the above labelsmay change their relative configurations.

Before describing the invention in detail, an introduction is providedto provide the reader with a general understanding of the presentinvention. Next, a description of various aspects of the presentinvention is provided to give an understanding of the specific details.

(1) Introduction

The present invention relates to a collectible marble set that containsenhancements that tie the set to characters in a media. The marble isformed to allow for an insert that has a color that represents acharacter in a media. The marble may additionally have an image diskinside itself that contains an image depicting the media character. Themarble may additionally contain a base. Further, the base may be of asimilar color to the color that represents the media character. Finally,the characters in the media may be grouped together into sets such thatone color represents an entire group of characters and thus one set ofmarbles could contain similar colored enhancements but would representdifferent individual characters

(2.1) Detailed Description of the Collectible Marble Set

The present invention relates to a collectible marble set. FIG. 1illustrates a side-view of a marble 100 in the collectible marble setaccording to the present invention. The marble 100 is formed in asuitable shape for containing various objects therein and having variousobjects mounted thereto. As a non-limiting example, the parts of themarble may include a top hemisphere 102, a bottom hemisphere 106, and aninsert channel 104. Additionally, the marble 100 may be constructed outof any suitability durable material, non-limiting examples of whichinclude plastic, glass, lexan, acrylic, etc. In this example, the insertchannel 104 is a channel that extends around the circumference of themarble 100 to make space for an insert.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an insert 200. The insert 200is formed of a suitable shape for being placed in the insert channel(depicted as element 104 in FIG. 1). The insert 200 can be made of anysuitable material, non-limiting examples of which include plastic,glass, lexan, acrylic, etc. The insert 200 is formed such that it has acolor. In this non-limiting example, the insert 200 is formed such thatit fits within the insert channel (see element 104 in FIG. 1) and issubstantially annular in shape to operate as a ring.

FIG. 3A illustrates a non-limiting example of the relationship betweeninserts 200 and 201 and media character sets 302 and 304. Thecollectible marble set is formed to represent a media 300 (e.g., movie,cartoon, comic book, etc.). The media 300 has characters that may begrouped into character sets 302 and 304. A media 300 may contain one ormore character sets. The character sets 302 and 304 have a color or setof colors assigned to represent each of the character sets. For example,a first character set 302 is assigned a first color while a secondcharacter set 304 is assigned a second character. A set of marbles (afirst marble 100 and a second marble 101) are tied 306 to a characterset 302 and 304 in the media 300 by giving the insert 200 and 201 thesame color as the color assigned to represent the given character set302 and 304 or by selecting a color from the character set's set ofcolors. In this way the user may look at a marble or set of marbles andknow what character set that marble or set of marbles represents merelyby looking at the color of the insert. As a non-limiting example, themedia may be a movie, such as the Star Wars™ movie made by Lucas FilmLtd., located at 1110 Gorgas Ave., San Francisco, Calif. 94129 In themovie, there are good guys and bad guys. The good guys may constituteone character set, while the bad guys constitute another character set.For example, the insert may be formed in the color blue to depict thegood guys, while the bad guys are represented by the color red, or viceversa or any other selected color. Thus, a first color (which can be anysuitable color) is used to represent one character set while a secondcolor (any other suitable color) is used to represent another characterset. It should be understood that the present invention is not limitedto a first and second characters set (and corresponding first and secondcolors), but can be expanded to any suitable number of character setsand corresponding colors.

FIG. 3B illustrates a side-view of the insert 200 (also depicted aselement 200 in FIGS. 2 and 3A). FIG. 3B also displays other non-limitingexamples of inserts. Element 202 illustrates that an insert can beformed such that the outer rim is raised and would thus extend out pastthe surface of the marble and would not be flush with the outer surfaceof the marble. Element 204 illustrates that an insert can be formed witha groove in it such that when the insert is placed in a marble theinsert would form a groove around the center of the marble. There aremany possible insert shapes. Elements 202 and 204 are provided to showthat the possible shapes of the inserts are not limited to the insertdepicted as element 200.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side-view of the marble 100 (also depicted aselement 100 in FIG. 1) and insert 200 (also depicted as element 200 inFIG. 2) according to the present invention. The insert 200 and themarble 100 are attached such that the insert 200 substantially residesin the insert channel (depicted as 106 in FIG. 1) and is encased withinthe marble 100.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a base 500. The base can beformed in any suitable way that allows the base to serve as a supportfor the marble. The base may be constructed out of any suitablematerial, non-limiting examples of which include metal, plastic, wood,etc. In the depicted non-limiting example, the base 500 is substantiallyannular in shape and can be wider at the bottom 504 than at the top 502to provide support and stability for the marble.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a base 500 and a marble 100with an insert 200. As can be seen in the figure, the base 500 serves asa support for the marble 100. Further, the base 500 may be the samecolor as the insert 200 and thus the same color as the character settied to the marble 100. When the insert 200 and the base 500 are thesame color this will further aid the collector in identifying thecharacter set that a particular marble is tied to.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an image disk 700 depicting acharacter 702. A possible use for the image disk 700 includes depictinga character 702 from the character set tied to a marble via the color ofthe marble's insert. Non-limiting examples of possible images include,depictions of characters selected from the character set tied to themarble via insert color, depictions of events related to the characterset's characters, depictions of vehicles or equipment related to thecharacter set's characters, etc. The image disk 700 can be formed in anysuitable shape or configuration that would allow it to display an imageand be attached to the marble. Further, the image disk 700 can beconstructed out of any suitable material, non-limiting examples of whichinclude paper, glass, metal, plastic, etc.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the marble 100 with the tophemisphere (depicted as element 102 in FIG. 1) removed, the insert 200and an image disk 800. As explained previously, the image disk can beformed in any way that allows it to display and image and attach to themarble. In the present non-limiting example, the image disk 800 isplaced within the diameter of the insert 200 and within the diameter ofthe marble 100. Further, the image disk 800 is substantially flat inshape, similar to that of a coin or disk.

FIG. 9 illustrates a front, perspective-view of the marble 100 withinsert 200, image disk 700, and base 500. All of the differentenhancements (e.g., image disk 700, insert 200, and base 500) can beused on the same marble. Additional enhancements can also be used,non-limiting examples of which include plaques, metallic name decals,embossed logos, etc. All of the enhancements can be tied to the samecharacter set. They can be tied to the same character set by being thesame color as the color assigned to the character set or by representingan image that is related to the character set. In this non-limitingexample, the base 500 and insert 200 are tied to the media by having thesame color as the color assigned to the character set and the image disk700 is tied to the media by representing an image that is related to thecharacter set.

As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art and as described above,the present invention is not limited to a single marble, but is directedto a collection (plurality) of marbles. The collection includes at leasttwo marbles (and can be formed with many more), each having a differentcolor insert that is representative of a different character set in amedia source (e.g., movie, cartoon, etc.).

FIG. 10 illustrates a method for forming the collectible marble set. Themethod comprises a plurality of acts, including forming a plurality ofmarbles; attaching inserts to each marble; and tying (representing) amedia to the marble by assigning a color to the character set and thenassigning the color to the inserts. Additionally, it can include stepsthat add further enhancements to the marbles. A non-limiting example ofthe steps that this method might include are forming a plurality ofmarbles 1000; attaching an insert to each marble 1002; and tying(representing) a character set to a marble set by assigning a color to acharacter set and then assigning the same color to the inserts of themarbles in a marble set 1004. Additionally, the methods shown in FIG. 10can also include the acts of adding a base to each marble 1006; adding abase to each marble and coloring the base similar to the insert color1008; attaching to each marble an image disk that represents a characterin the media 1010 and; lastly, attaching to each marble an image diskthat represents a character selected from a character set 1012.

1. A collectible marble set, comprising: a first marble having an inserttherein with a first color; a base formed to hold the first marble; andwherein the first marble is formed to be tied to a media having a firstcharacter set, such that the first color represents the first characterset.
 2. A collectible marble set as set forth in claim 1, furthercomprising a plurality of marbles, the plurality of marbles having afirst set of marbles and a second set of marbles, wherein the firstmarble is a member of the first set of marbles; wherein each of themarbles have an insert therein, wherein each of the marbles in the firstset of marbles has an insert with the first color and the second set ofmarbles has an insert with a second color; wherein the plurality ofmarbles are formed to be tied to a media having a first character setand a second character set, such that the first color represents thefirst character set and the second color represents the second characterset; and wherein each marble further comprises a base.
 3. A collectiblemarble set as set forth in claim 2, wherein the base color of the firstset of marbles is substantially similar to the first color and the basecolor of the second set of marbles is substantially similar to thesecond color.
 4. A collectible marble set as set forth in claim 3,wherein each of the marbles further includes an image disk representinga character in the media.
 5. A collectible marble set as set forth inclaim 4, wherein the image disks from the first set of marbles representcharacters selected from the first character set, and the image disksfrom the second set of marbles represent characters selected from thesecond character set.
 6. A collectible marble set as set forth in claim2, wherein each of the marbles further includes an image diskrepresenting a character in the media.
 7. A collectible marble set asset forth in claim 6, wherein the image disks from the first set ofmarbles represent characters selected from the first character set, andthe image disks from the second set of marbles represent charactersselected from the second character set.
 8. A method for forming acollectible marble set, the method comprising acts of: forming aplurality of marbles, the plurality of marbles having a first set ofmarbles and a second set of marbles; attaching an insert to each marble,wherein the first set of marbles has an insert with a first color andthe second set of marbles has an insert with a second color, where thefirst color represents a first character set of a media and the secondcolor represents a second character set of the media.
 9. A method forforming a collectible marble set as set forth in claim 8, furthercomprising the act of: providing a base for each marble.
 10. A methodfor forming a collectible marble set as set forth in claim 9, wherein inthe act of providing a base for each marble, the base includes a basecolor, wherein the base provided for a marble with an insert with afirst color includes a base with a base color that is substantiallysimilar to the first color, and wherein the base provided for a marblewith an insert with a second color includes a base with a base colorthat is substantially similar to the second color
 11. A method forforming a collectible set as set forth in claim 10, further comprisingthe act of: attaching to each marble an image disk representing acharacter in the media.
 12. A method for forming a collectible marbleset as set forth in claim 11, further comprising the act of: attachingan image disk representing characters selected from the first characterset to marbles in the first set of marbles, and attaching an image diskrepresenting characters selected from the second character set tomarbles in the second set of marbles.
 13. A method for forming acollectible set as set forth in claim 8, further comprising the act of:attaching to each marble an image disk representing a character in themedia.
 14. A method for forming a collectible marble set as set forth inclaim 13, further comprising the act of: attaching an image diskrepresenting characters selected from the first character set to marblesin the first set of marbles, and attaching an image disk representingcharacters selected from the second character set to marbles in thesecond set of marbles.